And the sad truth is that his legal team probably will be able to get him off — or get the charges reduced to something that’s meaningless and has no real impact on Justin. But as we’ve seen time and time again with these kids, letting them off the hook for minor offenses only ends up causing major problems down the road. Look no further than Lindsay Lohan for proof of that. Sure she’s better(ish) now and sure she’s sorta working again, but thanks to people who cared more about her money than her health, she got sucked into a downward spiral at the peak of her career. While she’ll work here and there for the rest of her life, it’s incredibly unlikely that she’ll ever get back to where was she in her Mean Girls and Freaky Friday heyday.

So it’s honestly in Justin Bieber’s best interests that he get help now. Whether that help come in the form of court mandated rehab or jail time doesn’t really matter. But it’s time that he learn that there are consequences for his actions. And that an adult won’t always be there to pull him out of trouble. Especially when the source of that trouble seems to be coming from within.